


all that is gold does not glitter

by light_on_oceans



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-02
Updated: 2014-06-02
Packaged: 2018-02-03 02:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1727897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/light_on_oceans/pseuds/light_on_oceans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian AU. Jung Yunho, formerly High King of Narnia, never expected to suddenly be pulled back into Narnia only to find that a thousand years have passed there in the one year he’s been back in his own world. He also never expected to be so inexplicably drawn to Prince Changmin, the brave young Telmarine with dark hair and darker eyes. [Written for AO3’s Spellbound: a HoMin/Disney crossover anthology.] Rated for mentions of war/battles and adult themes, and romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all that is gold does not glitter

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about the awkward contrast between Korean and Narnian names, and I hope this doesn't suck and you guys enjoy reading it!

Yunho ran across the busy street, ignoring the indignant blare of a car horn as he crossed right in front of the car. The paper bag he was holding swung wildly, its contents threatening to fall out, and he gripped it more tightly as he joined the throng of people pushing into the train station. He headed for the platform where he’d left his siblings, not noticing the four boys leaning casually against the wall until one stuck a foot out and almost tripped him. 

 

“Well, well,” the boy drawled, smirking. “Fancy bumping into you here, Jung Yunho.” It was Shindong, a kid from school who’d hated Yunho ever since primary school. Yunho had stood up for three kids Shindong was bullying on the playground and (in Shindong’s opinion) had humiliated him in front of the entire class. Those three kids had ended up going to a different secondary school, but Shindong still refused to forgive and forget.

 

“Nice to see you too,” Yunho said neutrally, stepping over Shindong’s outstretched foot, intending to leave as quickly as possible.

 

Shindong grabbed onto the bag he was holding; Yunho sighed and let him take it, not wanting to rip the flimsy paper. “Romance novels?” Shindong asked with a smirk as he looked at what was in the bag. “I mean, we all knew you were never the straightest, but this is pushing it a bit, don’t you think?” His lackeys nodded their assent—mindless idiots, those three—and Shindong grinned triumphantly. 

 

Yunho forced himself not to give Shindong the satisfaction of his anger. “I suppose people like you just don’t have anything better to do than to speculate about my sexuality, but if you must know, those are for my sisters.”

 

Shindong made a show of nodding as if he wasn’t convinced, tossing the bag carelessly back to Yunho. “Whatever. You know what they say about perverts like you, it’s always some problem with the father.”

 

Yunho curled his hands into fists at his sides, praying for patience. “You don’t want to go there, Shindong.”

 

“Oh, I think I do.” Shindong glanced around; several people had gathered, watching the scene with wary interest. “I wonder what your mum would think if she knew. Or was your father the same way? He could’ve used that to dodge the draft, y’know—”

 

Yunho punched him in the face. 

 

Later, he remembered only a blur of punches, blood and throbbing knuckles. He was outnumbered, but his anger fueled him, dulled the pain as Shindong knocked him down. The volume of the crowd increased and someone pushed through, a slight figure that headed straight for Shindong and yanked him off of Yunho. Yunho sat up, wincing. “Donghae!”

 

His little brother pretended not to have heard him, trading punches with one of Shindong’s lackeys. Yunho got to his feet and stood back-to-back with Donghae as the lackeys closed in on them again, relishing the adrenaline surging through him.

 

“Hey, break it up, boys!” someone yelled, accompanied by a shrill police whistle. Yunho managed to get in a couple more punches before the policemen grabbed his arms, hauling him away from Shindong. 

 

“Act your age,” one of the policemen scolded. Yunho scowled at his retreating back.

 

“You’re welcome,” Donghae muttered sullenly as they returned to the bench where they’d left their things. Yunho was about to retort that he hadn’t needed Donghae’s help anyway, when they were joined by Boa and Jihye who had identical disapproving expressions.

 

“Why do you always have to  _fight_?” Boa demanded, hands on her hips and looking just like their mum. “Both of you,” she added sternly, glaring at Donghae.

 

“Shindong insulted—” Yunho tried to protest.

 

“I don’t care,” Boa interrupted. “Keep your temper in check. You’re going to get yourself in trouble one of these days.”

 

Yunho ground his teeth, but backed down. He chanced a look at Donghae, who was nursing a bleeding lip. “Donghae, I...”

 

“Forget it,” Donghae said. He still seemed a little irritated, but something in his eyes told Yunho that Donghae knew exactly who Shindong had insulted. Yunho felt bad—Donghae was only trying to help, after all—and opened his mouth to apologize, when suddenly, Jihye let out a little yelp.

 

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. “Something pinched me,” she said, frowning.

 

Boa furrowed her eyebrows. “Don’t be—” She broke off suddenly. “Yunho, what—?”

 

All four of them felt it now, a strange tugging sensation that didn’t seem like it was from this world. “It feels like magic,” Jihye whispered, her eyes sparkling. 

 

Yunho felt a surge of excitement; were they finally going back to Narnia? God, he’d missed the magical country they’d ruled over as Kings and Queens for almost thirty years. When they returned to their own world, they realized that not even a second had passed and that they were teenagers again. It had been a year, but it felt like so much longer. 

 

“Quick, everyone hold hands,” Yunho ordered. If it was really magic, they couldn’t take any chances of being separated. Just as they linked hands, the train station disappeared, and they found themselves standing on a beach, squinting against the brightness of the sun.

 

Jihye let out a cry of delight, shucking off her shoes and charging into the ocean. Yunho had to smile a little; Jihye had been dreading her first year of secondary school, and she was clearly overjoyed that she was—at least for the moment—free of that worry.

 

All four of them splashed around in the sparkling waves for a time, relaxing under the warm sun and marveling at the beauty of the place, wherever they were. 

 

“D’you think we’re in Narnia?” Donghae asked abruptly, voicing the thought that had been on all of their minds since they’d first felt the pull of magic.

 

“Where else could we be?” Jihye splashed him with water, but he ignored her for the time being, shielding his eyes from the sun and looking up at something on the cliffs that rose up behind the beach.

 

“I don’t remember any ruins in Narnia.” The rest of them followed his gaze; indeed, at the very top of the cliffs, they could see crumbled stone walls in the midst of tall grasses.

 

“Hm. Let’s go look!” Jihye ran off, looking for a way up. The other three exchanged a look and followed her, smiling to themselves.

 

Surprisingly, they found a path that, although overgrown with weeds, easily led to the top. “I wonder who lived here before,” Jihye said as they walked through the ruins, eagerly taking in the view. 

 

Boa, who had gone on ahead with Donghae, turned around with something small in her hand, a strange look on her face. “I think... _we_  did.”

 

She held out a small chess piece, an ebony knight with rubies for eyes that must have belonged to the royal chess set they had used. Yunho remembered long games of chess with courtiers and friends on slow days, and felt his chest tighten. 

 

“Were we attacked?” Yunho asked. His voice sounded thick and he cleared his throat, summoning his kingly calm. “Or has so much time passed here that it’s just fallen into ruin?”

 

Donghae pointed wordlessly to a large boulder that sat innocently a little ways off, unmistakably similar to the stones used in catapults. 

 

“I think it’s been more than a year since we left, though,” Jihye murmured sadly. “Mr. Tumnus and Oreius and all the others would never have let Cair Paravel be attacked.”

 

“You’re saying...” Boa started, then stopped as the implications of Jihye’s words sank in.  _Our old friends must be dead._

 

“We have to find out what happened here,” Yunho said when the melancholy silence dragged on.

 

“Let’s get some weapons first. Whoever attacked is probably still around,” Boa pointed out.

 

Yunho nodded his agreement. Closing his eyes, he pictured Cair Paravel as he remembered it: gleaming white walls painted with sunset glow, rich carpets imported from Calormen, volumes and volumes of old books in the huge library—and the secret space underneath the throne room that held all the supplies the castle might need in dire times. Gesturing for the others to follow him, he made his way carefully to where he thought the throne room should be.

 

They were in luck; the attackers must not have known of the secret room and had left the trapdoor undisturbed. As Yunho worked at opening the door, Donghae fished out his brand-new electric torch from the bag he’d happened to have in hand when they were whisked into Narnia, handing it to Yunho to light the way into the room. 

 

The air was cool and smelled of earth, the electric torch throwing flickering shadows against the stone walls. Boa found their old weapons—her magic bow and arrows, Yunho’s sword and shield, Jihye’s dagger and magic cordial. They had been gifts from Father Christmas when they’d first come to Narnia, as they journeyed to overthrow the White Witch and restore peace to Narnia, fulfilling an old Narnian prophecy. 

 

“My magic horn is gone,” Boa murmured, frowning a little. "I must’ve left it hanging from my saddle when we went after the White Stag...right before we went back to our own world."

 

“Having the horn would’ve been helpful,” Jihye agreed wistfully. “But we’ll manage, I think.”

 

Yunho felt a stab of guilt as Donghae turned away from them, searching quietly for a sword and shield that fit him. Donghae hadn’t been with them when Father Christmas visited them, because he had gone to the White Witch with the intention of betraying them. He’d come back to them before long, of course, and Yunho wasn’t sure how the Narnian history books explained the whole situation but he had never blamed Donghae at all.

 

Donghae had been bewitched, for one, but more than that, he’d been angry, because of Yunho. All his life, he had felt like he was in Yunho’s shadow, forgotten, unimportant, and Yunho himself had never even noticed. He was so grateful that Donghae had come back to them, alive and well, and since then he’d tried his best to make sure Donghae knew how much he was appreciated and loved. 

 

They took a few extra clothes and their armor, not knowing how long it might be before they came to a village or city, and left the ruins, hoping to go deeper inland. To their surprise, as they went downhill, they saw that a huge canal had been dug, separating the peninsula on which Cair Paravel stood from the mainland. 

 

“What now?” Donghae asked, sounding a little frustrated. 

 

“Hey, that looks like a boat,” Boa said suddenly, pointing at a distant dark shape in the middle of the canal, heading towards the island. 

 

“We should look a little closer,” Yunho agreed. “But be careful, we don’t know if they’re friends or enemies.”

 

They made their way cautiously down to the shoreline, hiding in the brush as they watched the boat come closer. It was manned by two dark-haired men who didn’t quite look Narnian. Then Jihye let out a little gasp, her eyes widening. “They have a Dwarf with them!”

 

Yunho squinted and was alarmed to find that they indeed had a Dwarf in the boat, bound and gagged like a prisoner. He turned back to the others, but Boa was already moving, notching an arrow and stepping out from the bush, tall and confident as the Queen she was. “Let him go,” she called out sternly to the two men.

 

The men startled, exchanging a glance before they hauled the Dwarf up, preparing to throw him overboard. Yunho rushed out as Boa let an arrow fly, striking the boat. The two men panicked, dropping the Dwarf into the water before they jumped out themselves and swam away. 

 

Yunho charged into the water without a second thought, swimming out to the drowning Dwarf and pulling him back to shore where he quickly untied him. 

 

“You should’ve just let them drown me,” the Dwarf complained once he got his breath back. He looked at all four of them suspiciously. 

 

Donghae raised an eyebrow incredulously. “We saved your  _life._  Don’t be so ungrateful.”

 

The Dwarf scowled. “And who do you think you are, boy?”

 

Donghae bristled. “I’m a King, thank you. King Donghae the Just.”

 

The Dwarf looked impressed for a second, before his scowl returned. “How do I know you’re not lying? You look mighty young and King Donghae, if he was real, disappeared from Narnia along with his siblings over a thousand years ago.”

 

Jihye clapped a hand to her mouth. “A thousand years?!”

 

“One thousand three hundred,” the Dwarf clarified absently, still staring suspiciously at Donghae. 

 

“King Donghae was known for his sparring skills,” Yunho cut in smoothly, though his mind was still spinning at the Dwarf’s words. _One thousand three hundred years?_ “Would you be convinced if he beat you in a match?” He nodded at Jihye, who unsheathed her dagger and offered it to the Dwarf. 

 

The Dwarf eyed them for a moment longer, before nodding and taking the weapon.  

 

Donghae was caught by surprise at first at the speed and precision of the Dwarf’s attacks but quickly adjusted his normal sparring style, using his height and longer reach to his advantage as he danced nimbly around the Dwarf and finally disarmed him, pointing his sword at the Dwarf’s throat with a wide, satisfied grin. 

 

The Dwarf lay there for a moment, frowning a little. “Very well, Your Majesty,” he muttered eventually. Donghae chuckled and let him up. 

 

“My name’s Trumpkin,” the Dwarf added, still somewhat grumpy. “And I presume you are the Kings and Queens of the Golden Age?”

 

“Yes,” Yunho replied, feeling warm with pride. So their reign had become known as the Golden Age—pretty impressive for a group of teenagers who had only ruled for fifteen years of Narnia’s now over two thousand-year history. He stuck out a hand. “High King Yunho the Magnificent.”

 

Trumpkin stared blankly at the proffered hand.

 

Jihye giggled. “I remember I did the same thing with Mr. Tumnus, back then,” she said fondly. “Narnians don’t shake hands, Yunho.”

 

“Right,” Yunho said awkwardly, letting his hand fall back to his side.

 

Boa and Jihye introduced themselves and Trumpkin made a little bow to all of them, almost as an afterthought, before they retrieved the boat to cross the canal and make their way inland. 

 

Trumpkin sat in the bow of the boat, directing them from time to time down what appeared to be the River Glasswater. One thousand three hundred years had changed the very landscape of Narnia, although it was still mostly recognizable. The strangest thing was the lack of sound—other than the wind whistling through the trees and a couple birds flying overhead, the woods around them seemed completely deserted.

 

“It’s so quiet,” Jihye murmured, unknowingly echoing Yunho’s thoughts.

 

“The Telmarines don’t come here often,” Trumpkin said. “They’re scared of being too close to Cair Paravel. But the Narnians still hide because the Telmarines do come here from time to time to make sure no uprising is going on.”

 

“Telmarines?” Boa asked, surprised. “They invaded?” Telmar, to the west of Narnia, had never been a peaceful land, its people militaristic and their army powerful, but in Yunho’s memory, they had always respected Narnia.

 

Trumpkin told them how Narnia had fallen into disorder after the disappearance of the four of them. With no designated successor, many factions had fought to rule Narnia, and the Telmarines, who were suffering from war and famine in their own country, had taken advantage of the lawlessness to invade. They oppressed the Narnians and drove them into the woods, and they built their own castle in the heart of Narnia after destroying Cair Paravel.

 

Yunho felt cold despite the hot sun beating down on them. So much they had known had been destroyed, and their old friends were long dead. But at the same time, he was angry—angry that the Telmarines had seized what was rightfully his, that although Narnia remembered him fondly, he was no more than a legend, a ghost, with no real authority.

 

“There’s been some talk that there might be hope, though,” Trumpkin said. Although his tone was skeptical, Yunho could tell that deep down, he did hope this ‘talk’ would prove to be right. “Prince Changmin the Tenth, the rightful heir to the throne, has been forced to flee the castle, and has sought refuge with the Old Narnians.”

 

 _No Telmarine is ‘rightfully’ heir to the throne of Narnia_ , Yunho thought viciously. Prince Changmin...he mouthed the name silently to himself. A shiver ran through his body and he decided it was his aversion to seeing a Telmarine on the throne of Narnia.

 

“What happened?” Boa asked.

 

“The current ruler, the Lord Protector Youngmin, took the throne when his brother, King Changmin the Ninth, was murdered. The prince was just a child then. Youngmin promised to relinquish rule to Prince Changmin when he came of age, but his wife gave birth to a son just a couple days ago. Under Telmarine law, Prince Changmin is the only person that stands between Youngmin’s son and the throne, so Youngmin attempted to murder the prince.

 

“The prince managed to escape, and came across the Old Narnians in the woods. He was frightened, and blew the magic horn he’d been given, to try to summon help—actually, I believe that would be your magic horn, Your Majesty.” Trumpkin nodded to Boa. Boa smiled a little.

 

“So I guess it was my horn that pulled us back to Narnia?”

 

“That seems likely.” Here Trumpkin looked a little sheepish. “The Old Narnians decided that if the four monarchs of old were indeed summoned, they would either appear at Cair Paravel or in Lantern Waste. I was to journey to Cair Paravel, but I was captured and interrogated by the Telmarines. Then they decided to drown me, and that’s where you four came in and rescued me.”

 

Jihye suddenly stood up, but quickly sat back down when her movement caused the boat to rock precariously.

 

“Jihye,” Yunho said reproachfully.

 

“Sorry,” she said sincerely, but she was looking away, her eyes fixed on the trees at the tops of the cliffs on either side of this portion of the river. “I thought I saw...” She frowned slightly. “I thought I saw Aslan.”

 

Trumpkin scoffed. “You probably just saw a regular lion, Your Majesty,” he said. “No one’s seen the Great Lion in living memory, and I personally don’t believe He’s any more than a legend. If He were real, why would He have let things get so bad in Narnia?”

 

Jihye frowned at him. “Well, you thought _we_ were legends too, and we’re right here in front of you!”

 

Yunho decided to intervene then. “Jihye, I don’t know what you saw, but for now, Aslan isn’t here. We’re on our own.”

 

Jihye scowled but didn’t say anything more.

 

They continued traveling by boat for three days, sleeping on the riverbank at night, until finally they had to leave the boat and travel on foot. Trumpkin told them they were heading for Aslan’s How, a fortress that had been built over the ruins of the Stone Table (Boa and Jihye shuddered at the mention of the place where Aslan had sacrificed himself for Donghae) some years after the four of them had left Narnia. Prince Changmin and the Old Narnians had gathered there.

 

Yunho led the group now, pleased that although the river’s path had changed too much for him to be able to direct them in the boat, the terrain was still mostly the same as he remembered. The Fords of Beruna should have been an ideal place to cross the Great River, but he hadn’t known that the Telmarines were building a bridge across the water, presumably for the movement of troops judging from the presence of generals overseeing the operation. Yunho knew they wouldn’t be able to slip past the Telmarines, even under cover of night, so he reluctantly took the group back into the woods, hoping to find another route.

 

 _It’s not fair_ , he grumbled to himself as they hurried away from Beruna. _I’m High King of Narnia! I shouldn’t have to be sneaking around my own country like this._

He imagined, briefly, stepping out into the dazzling sunlight at Beruna and proclaiming his identity, drawing his sword if any Telmarine was skeptical. Then they would kneel to him in respect, and promise to follow his orders. He grinned to himself. It made a nice image; the sight of his fair hair in the sunlight and his glittering sword had made many a foe reconsider his course of action, back in the day.

 

“Yunho, I still think we should follow the path that Aslan showed me,” Jihye piped up. Predictably; she’d been saying the same thing for the past two days, ever since they’d left the River Glasswater. Apparently Aslan had appeared to her in a dream and showed her where to go.

 

Yunho sighed and turned around. “Are you sure you saw Aslan?”

 

Jihye pouted. “I’m sure! You should stop doubting Him.”

 

“Why wouldn’t _I_ have seen Him, then?” Yunho demanded. “Why are you the only one who saw Him?”

 

“Maybe I was the only one looking,” Jihye shot back.

 

“Well, I believe her,” Donghae interrupted. His voice was quiet, but all of them still heard him.

 

Yunho turned to him, incredulous. “You’re not saying you saw Him too?”

 

“No. I didn’t see Him.” Donghae glanced at Jihye briefly. “But last time I didn’t believe Jihye, I ended up looking like a fool.”

 

Jihye’s face lit up with a grin and she came over to hug Donghae tightly. The corner of Donghae’s mouth twitched upwards in a fond smile as he returned the hug, and Yunho felt an absurd rush of jealousy.

 

“Fine. Jihye, where did Aslan say we need to go?”

 

Jihye led them confidently through the woods, a bounce in her step. Yunho, bringing up the rear, shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground in frustration when he thought the others weren’t looking. He was the High King, why hadn’t he been the one to see Aslan?

 

They came out of the woods on top of a cliff. Yunho peered down carefully; sure enough, the river was shallow and quiet below them, but he couldn’t see how they would get down. “There should be a path here...” Jihye muttered, taking a step towards the edge.

 

“Jihye, be careful!” Boa called.

 

Yunho sighed. It looked like they would have to set off again, looking for another way. “Jihye, let’s just—”

 

Suddenly the ground under Jihye’s feet crumbled and she fell with a cry. Yunho and Boa leapt forward, trying to grab her, before they realized she was perfectly fine. The ground had given way to reveal the path that led down from the top of the cliff, narrow and winding but very stable.

 

Grudgingly, Yunho had to admit that maybe Aslan was looking out for them, even now.

 

Finally they came to Aslan’s How, a towering structure of stone guarded by Centaurs and Fauns. They saluted as they recognized Trumpkin and the four of them, and let them pass into the How.

 

Trumpkin led them to what he called the main council room, where a variety of Talking Animals were gathered, as well as a dark-haired young man with his back to the door, scrutinizing the map on the table. The Dwarf cleared his throat, bringing everyone’s attention towards the door.

 

“Trumpkin!” a Badger exclaimed. “We were so worried about you. We thought you’d been killed!” His gaze drifted to the four of them and his eyes widened. “Lion’s Mane...are these the Kings and Queens of old?” He didn’t say it skeptically, although Yunho knew that the four of them didn’t look much like Kings and Queens at all but rather like exhausted teenagers (which they were). Instead, the Badger’s tone was one of awe, and Yunho was glad that at least he still commanded respect.

 

“Your Majesties,” another voice spoke up, a smooth pleasant tenor that Yunho decided he liked until he looked away from the Badger and realized the voice belonged to the dark-haired young man, who he thought must be the Telmarine prince judging from his lightly-tanned skin that was characteristic of the Telmarine race and from the way he carried himself. His guess was confirmed by the man’s next words. “I am Prince Changmin the Tenth.” To Yunho’s surprise, Changmin bowed low to the four of them. “At your service.”

 

Yunho drew himself up to his full height, assuming a regal stance. Good; Changmin recognized who had the authority here. “Thank you. Might I see the plans you’re making?” he added, stepping up to the table.

 

Over the next few weeks, however, Yunho’s mood soured as his suggestion to attack Youngmin’s castle directly was shot down again and again. Changmin, especially, protested and argued and generally disapproved, claiming that a full attack would prove too dangerous, although he always did so with the utmost respect and tact.

 

Once, Yunho tried to bring up the Battle of Beruna as proof that he did, actually, know what he was talking about when it came to battle tactics, at which point Jihye spoke up and hesitantly reminded him that if it hadn’t been for Aslan’s help, he wouldn’t have won the battle.

 

Embarrassing enough that his baby sister was bringing up the flaws in his argument, it was even more embarrassing that he had to lose this argument to Changmin. He left the room and went outside, sitting down on one of the stone benches where the sentries sometimes sat when they grew tired. Resting his head in his hands, he allowed himself a brief moment of sulking over the unfairness of his situation. He’d expected to be welcomed back to Narnia with open arms, but instead this upstart Telmarine prince commanded everyone’s loyalty.

 

Then the thought crossed his mind that the Telmarine prince would not be here, much less have earned the respect and trust of the Old Narnians, if some tragedy had not forced him from his rightful place in the kingdom. Yunho remembered that Trumpkin said Changmin’s uncle had tried to murder the prince, just so his own son would become king. And Doctor Cornelius, Changmin’s half-Dwarf tutor who had recently joined them at the How after escaping the castle, had mentioned that Changmin’s father had actually been murdered by Youngmin, not some wild Narnian assassin like the Telmarines had assumed.

 

Yunho was still impressed that even with that knowledge, Changmin had rationally considered the toll an attack on the castle would take on his army and refused to avenge his father in that manner. He knew he himself would never have been able to resist such a temptation.

 

It was unfair of Yunho to expect everything to be the same in Narnia. He’d been gone from his country for over a thousand years—something he hadn’t known and couldn’t have been able to control, but a fact nonetheless. There was no way he could go back in time and return to what he’d had before.

 

Changmin, though he was a Telmarine, had every right to become King of Narnia, and Yunho was glad that the next King would be a respectful, kind, and thoughtful young man.

 

He didn’t know how long he sat out there, thinking, but it was dark outside by the time he drew himself out of his thoughts. There was the sound of footsteps behind him and he looked back over his shoulder. Changmin stood there, his hands clasped behind his back, looking nervous but determined. “Your Majesty, if I might speak with you...?”

 

Even with his prior revelation, Yunho still hated the effortless way the formal words flowed from Changmin’s mouth. It was another painful reminder that the Telmarine was better than him—not only was he the leader of this makeshift Narnian army, but he also made a much better royal than Yunho ever had. True, that wasn’t something Yunho could control—Changmin had been raised among nobles, whereas Yunho was just a simple schoolboy whose sister had happened upon a magic wardrobe a year ago—but still, Yunho felt jealous.

 

He realized Changmin was still waiting for permission to continue, and gestured for him to speak, thinking Changmin was going to reprimand him for his foolish persistence in suggesting they attack Youngmin’s castle, because it only wasted time and annoyed everyone else. He was surprised when Changmin said instead, “I apologize for my actions, Your Majesty.”

 

Yunho blinked. “Why? I mean, you did nothing wrong.”

 

Changmin regarded him for a moment and Yunho noticed for the first time that the prince’s eyes were dark, almost black, like burning coals. He wondered what it would be like to have Changmin’s eyes fixed on him in passion, and was immediately appalled with himself for such a thought. “My actions created a situation in which your authority and expertise were needlessly questioned,” Changmin said. “I apologize.”

 

 “There’s no need to apologize,” Yunho said quickly. He wanted to look away from Changmin, but he held Changmin’s gaze, needing to express the earnestness in his next words. “I...I realize I haven’t been acting right, ever since I got here.” It hurt his pride to be admitting his mistake, but he felt bad for how he’d treated Changmin—and everyone else, too, really. “I let my pride blind me and I was selfish. I apologize for how I acted towards you.”

 

Changmin inclined his head, accepting the apology. “I understand the motive behind your previous actions. I believe I would have done the same, were our places exchanged.”

 

Yunho allowed himself the barest of smiles. Maybe he and Changmin weren’t so different after all. Maybe they could even become friends.

 

“Have you eaten?” he asked Changmin, who shook his head. “I’m starving. Let’s go eat.”


End file.
